When you can’t afford to flee imminent disaster: The Floridians unable to evacuate before Milton hits

Your support helps us to tell the story

Support Now

Find out moreClose

Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.

Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.

Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.

Louise Thomas

Editor

Hurricane Milton is expected to slam into Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday night, bringing devastating winds, life-threatening storm surge and flash floods.

Milton is currently a major Category 4 storm and is expected to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center. The hurricane is expected to bring up to 15 feet of storm surge and 155 mph winds.

Millions of Floridians have been ordered to evacuate, but not everyone has a place to go. Some residents who find themselves stuck in Milton’s path have said they simply can’t afford to leave.

Amanda Moss, a TikToker and mother of six from Fort Myers, doesn’t have the funds to evacuate herself, her husband, her mother-in-law, her children and their four dogs,The Washington Post reports.

“Mom anxiety is real,” Moss said in a recent video. “We don’t have the money to evacuate, and where am I evacuating to?”

Her car, a Chevrolet Suburban, only fits seven people — and like many, she’s worried about running out of gas and getting stranded on the road when Milton makes landfall.

“So many of our friends have had to turn around because...no gas, they’re stuck on the highways...there’s accident after accident on that highway because it’s gridlocked,” Moss said in a Wednesday morning TikTok.

“In 30+ years, we’ve never evacuated...That’s not saying ‘okay, we’re not leaving because we think we’re bigger and badder than a storm,’” Moss continued. “No...we’re taking the proper precautions...because that’s what needs to be done. No, I’m not just hopping on a highway. I can’t even get out of the state.”

Carol Newhart, 51, told the Post she and her loved ones are worried they will run out of gas if they try to evacuate. Newhart told the outlet she also has a relative in Arcadia with a collapsed lung who needs electricity to run his necessary medical equipment.

Chris Smith, a 62-year-old from Sarasota, told NPR he typically doesn’t feel hurricanes are very serious — but Milton has changed his mind.

“It’s very serious," Smith told the outlet. "And I never feel that way. With all the information, all the numbers and everything, it’s going to be destructive.”

"I have a friend that lives downtown in one of the high-rise condos, so I can park my car at a higher level,” he added. “There’s no way that building’s gonna be affected.”

Smith would normally consider driving to Georgia, he told the outlet, but concerns about traffic and gas shortages are stopping him.

“The issue is you’re driving and there’s nowhere to get gas. Everybody’s filling their tank up. So I bet half the gas stations are empty,” he told NPR.

John Fedor, a Philadelphia resident who came with his wife to Florida for a cruise, told local outlet WDSU they are trying to catch a cab to a storm shelter from the Tampa airport.

The couple had to walk two miles to the airport, hoping to catch a flight back home, but now find themselves stuck. They’ve spent nearly $1,000 on unplanned transit and hotel rooms as they try to escape.

“We’re kind of like stranded here," Fedor told the outlet.

Looting is another concern, both for those that stay behind in the storm and people who have been forced to leave their possessions behind as they flee.

Makeshift signs have been spotted across the state with messages like, “Not your stuff to take,” and, “If you loot, we shoot on site” to scare off potential thieves.

On Tuesday, Florida governor Ron DeSantis issued a stark warning for anyone thinking of looting.

“This is not going to be an opportunity for folks to take advantage of people,” he said. “If you think this is an opportunity to loot, you’ve got another thing coming.

“Do not try and take advantage of people who are suffering because of the results of the storm. We will be very swift across all levels of government to throw the book at people.”

As millions scramble to prepare and evacuate there are some residents who are refusing to leave. One man, known as “Lieutenant Dan” on social media, doesn’t plan to leave his boat on Tampa Bay as Milton races toward his area.

“The water’s going to come in, it’s going to rise,” he said in a recent video. “If you’re on land, it’s going to flood. You’re risking drowning. I’m in a boat, so the boat goes up with the water... it’s really the safest place to be, on my boat.”

He also explained he can swim “in circles” to stick the storm out if needed.

Tampa Police and other community members have offered him assistance and urged him to seek shelter, but for now at least he’s staying put.